Locals dominate MMA show

The fights were action-packed, and locals won the two most important bouts of the night.

To the average fan, that’d make Caged Warrior Championship 7 a success.

The nine-card MMA bout took place at the Cut Off Youth Center on Friday night before a crowd of a few hundred in attendance.

In the main event, local boy Jordon Plaisance sent the fans home happy, scoring a dominant first-round knockout over challenger Benito Alcozer.

Plaisance was one of several locals who were victorious in a night that promoter Justin Verdin said was an unquestioned success.

“Caged Warrior Championship 7 was one to remember,” Verdin said. “The fights were great, and I have to thank the fans, fighters, sponsors and staff. It was great seeing all of you, and I’m super proud of all of our sponsors for their support.”

Speaking of support, Plaisance had a ton of it on Friday night.

Fighting in front of his home crowd, the Cut Off native made quick work of Alcozer , putting him away just more than two minutes into the bout. The first minute or so was competitive with each fighter landing strikes on the other in standup competition. At one point, Alcozer even pushed Plaisance into the cage and attempted a takedown, which Plaisance thwarted with solid defense.

But at about the 90-second mark and with both fighters in the center of the cage, Plaisance took over. He landed a couple uppercuts that stunned Alcozer and put him back on his heels.

After that exchange, Plaisance muscled Alcozer against the cage and ended the fight, using a series of vicious rights and lefts to the body to drop the opponent and force the referee to jump between the two men for a stoppage victory.

Plaisance said to the ring announcer after the fight that the fans were a huge source of inspiration for him on his big night.

With the win, Plaisance further solidified his position as one of the top mixed martial artists in the Houma-Thibodaux area.

“There’s no place like home,” Plaisance said. “There’s nothing like being able to fight in front of people you know who are all cheering for you and rooting you on.”

Prior to the bout, Plaisance said he had revamped his diet and training routine and was in the “best shape of my life.”

It showed on Friday night in a big win.

SMITH WINS TITLE BOUT, SUBMITS HOUMA FOE

About an hour before Plaisance took the cage, a young, up-and-coming local MMA prospect scored one of the biggest wins of his young career.

He, too, was powered by the hometown fans.

In one of the premier bouts of the night, Larose native Maxx Smith won the 185-pound Caged Warrior Championship title, defeating Houma native Scotty St. Julien by a first-round stoppage via arm bar.

After being awarded the title belt by Verdin, Smith said it is an honor to be considered a champion.

“I’ve trained so hard, so it’s a good feeling,” Smith said after the victory, with the title belt still around his waist. “I knew it was going to be a challenging fight, and it was. But I believed in myself, relied on my skills and was able to get him to tap out.”

It didn’t look good for Smith at first.

After landing a few decent strikes to start the fight, St. Julian pushed Smith against the cage and took him down to the mat.

St. Julian had a hold of Smith’s neck and looked for a minute like he had a great opportunity to take a dominant advantage in the fight.

But Smith stayed poised, despite fighting from his back. He maneuvered out of St. Julien’s choke and then turned the tides. After an unsuccessful attempt at a triangle choke, Smith was able to grab hold of St. Julian’s arm, twisting it violently until he tapped out.

After winning the fight, Smith jumped up from the canvas and showed his amazing athleticism with a standing backflip.

Smith also has gained acclaim around fighting circles for the five-second TKO victory he earned in June 2014 – the product of a huge head kick he landed on Jocquenee Bernard.

He said his goal is to continue to learn the sport and all of its disciplines before pondering whether to chase a pro career.

YOU DON’T SEE THAT EVERYDAY

In the undercard of Caged Warrior Championship 7, a superheavyweight bout pit two men against one another who weighed a combined 800-plus pounds.

“Big” Jeff Ronquille defeated “The Mammoth” Ian Matherne in a close, hard-fought fight that was decided on the ground.

Matherne, who weighed in at 400 pounds, initially had the top position, getting several licks on Ronquille to severely bruise his right eye. Despite being hurt, Ronquille showed heart. He reversed position and used his 420-pounds to smother Matherne and score a second-round TKO.

Ronquille’s win avenged a previous defeat he suffered at the hands of Matherne.

Maxx SmithCOURTESY